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Emergencies
I once left the oil filler cap off of my P-210 after adding oil. I shut the access door, but the cap was dangling on its chain. I was about to start a trip to Prescott, Arizona from Denver, over the 14,000' Rocky mountains. It was about 8pm and dark when I left.
Shortly into the trip, before reaching cruising altitude of VFR 16,500', I noticed a small stream of fluid just at the base of my windscreen on the pilot's side. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then was somewhat alarmed. By the time I decided to do something about it, I was over the Collegiate Peaks, just east of Gunnison. They are about a 13,500-14,000 ridge of mountains extending north-south. I was crossing right over the tops of them in an east-west direction. Just beyond the peaks, the town of Gunnison is visible on a clear night.
I contacted Denver Center to notify them I had to land at Gunnison. They told me that the airport couldn't be opened unless I declared an emergency and 'Are you declaring an emergency?' Well, with no choice, I said 'Yes.'
So, I made a right downwind entry into the pattern at Gunnison. Someone had turned the runway lights on. I noticed something strange--the slower I went, the higher on the windscreen the liquid went. By the time I turned final, the entire left side of the windscreen was covered with oil, and I had to lean to the right to exercise the landing--feeling for the runway. Finally, I taxid to the FBO. There, I was greeted by the Fire Department and the Sheriff's Department.
The high airspeed during cruise (195kts) had blown the oil down the side of the plane, and the entire pilot's side was covered with a thin film of oil. It wasn't until I slowed to approach speed--about 67kts. that the oil was not being blown as hard and creeped up the windscreen. The plane was a mess. I'd only lost about two quarts of oil, but that was in 45 min. out of a 2.5 hr. flight.
The FBO mechanic helped me clean the plane, and we found the problem. The Sheriff's department checked all my paperwork, including the plane's airworthiness certificate, my pilots license and ratings, medical, insurance--everything. Of course, they were all there beside the runway with their lights lights on anticipating a crash. So, I spent the night in a local motel and made it to work the next day late. I didn't hear anything from the FAA--no citation or anything. Just overlooked something simple. I guess the lesson is to take anything out of the ordinary seriously and don't be afraid to declare an emergency to stay safe and land. At the time, I didn't care at all that there would be emergency vehicles and police at the airport. I just wanted to get down and check my plane. I've got a few others to relate, too.
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DJSchaut
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DJSchaut
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